FBI probes Old Dominion University shooting as terrorism; suspect was ex-National Guard member previously jailed for aiding Islamic State
Norfolk, Va. — The FBI is investigating a deadly shooting at Old Dominion University as an act of terrorism after identifying the gunman as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former National Guard member who previously pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group, authorities said.
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One person was killed and two others were wounded in the attack on the Norfolk campus on Tuesday. The assailant died at the scene after students overpowered him, officials said. No shots were fired at the suspect, and authorities did not immediately detail how he died.
Special Agent Dominique Evans of the FBI’s Norfolk field office said Jalloh shouted “Allahu akbar” before opening fire and had expressed a desire to carry out an attack similar to the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, where 13 people were killed and more than 30 wounded by a U.S. Army psychiatrist. Evans said investigators have found no indication the assailant mentioned Iran during the attack.
All three victims were members of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), which trains college students to become commissioned military officers, Evans said. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger identified the victim who died as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, an ROTC instructor. “Lt. Col. Shah didn’t just lead a life of service to our country, he taught and led others to follow that path,” Spanberger wrote on X.
Evans declined to say whether the victims were targeted specifically because of their ROTC affiliation. She praised students who confronted the gunman, saying their swift actions likely prevented further bloodshed. “The brave ROTC members in that room subdued him and if not for them I’m not sure what else he may have done,” she said.
Jalloh pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group, according to authorities. He was sentenced in 2017 and released in 2024. He served previously in the National Guard.
In a post on X, FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooter was subdued by a group of students whose actions, along with a rapid response, “undoubtedly saved lives.” Old Dominion University said in a statement that campus police and emergency personnel “responded immediately” and confirmed the gunman was deceased. Details on the conditions of the two wounded victims were not released.
Classes were disrupted as law enforcement secured buildings on the urban campus near downtown Norfolk, about 200 miles south of Washington. Officials did not immediately release information on the type of weapon used or how the suspect obtained it.
The FBI’s designation underscores the bureau’s focus on potential ideologically motivated violence intersecting with schools and military-affiliated programs. The agency did not announce any broader credible threat tied to the incident, and investigators continued to process the scene and interview witnesses.
The attack came the same day as a separate incident in suburban Detroit, where a man crashed a truck into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield and was killed during a confrontation with synagogue security, authorities said. The FBI is leading that investigation, calling it a “targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.” All 140 children in the synagogue’s preschool were safely evacuated; dozens of responding officers were treated for smoke inhalation from a fire that erupted after the crash, officials said. Authorities did not immediately release the suspect’s identity or a motive.
School shootings remain a grimly regular occurrence in the United States, even as campuses expand security and coordination with law enforcement. In Norfolk, investigators asked anyone with information or video from Old Dominion University to contact the FBI as they work to determine precisely how the attack unfolded and what, if any, ties the suspect maintained after his release from prison.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
